With the UK having gone forward an hour last week, taking the time difference to be 10 hours, with Melbourne putting its clocks back an hour on the Saturday, therefore taking the difference to be 9 hours, looking at my computer to check times for skyping the relatives in Brisbane and finding that they are in fact an hour behind Melbourne I got mightily confused…!

On Saturday I was informed by my Dutch roommate that Scotland has set a date for the independence referendum for the 18 September 2014. Perhaps a bit worrying to be informed of your home nation’s news by a non native; note to self: must try and catch more news. Incidentally, that means I only have 529 days of travelling before I have to make sure that I am back in the country :-D.

Checking in with the family and my friend George, it was good to put the world to rights. The nightly routine started, entering the bathroom at approx 11.20, chat about toilet vending machines formed an instant bond with myself and an Australian girl called Emma. Literally talking for an hour, we educated each other on some local words! Another girl washing her face apologising to me, the only fish in the water for so long, I heard what I had had been looking for the last 3 weeks – the beautiful tones of the Scottish accent! :-). Also instantly clicking, we shared our stories and our job hunting endeavours. Knowing exactly how the other felt and having the same dilemmas, an ally has been formed!!

A weekend of meeting new people, I also got to know two friends other half’s. Australian football on in the city on Sunday (known colloquially as Aussie rules), my volunteering friend Dirk getting to me before any other Aussies, claiming his team (Collingwood) as my team, we won! Having a pint of collingwood draught in celebration, without trying to appear biased, it is the best beer I have had in Australia so far! Chat about dumplings could only result in one outcome, with us partaking in all you can eat dumplings at the dumpling house. Another achievement on the Melbourne bucket list, it made me think of my friend Lianne. Loving his and his wife’s amazing back story, with some fab banter that involved happy birthday’s, it was a very enjoyable evening.

Finally reunited with a Scottish friend that lives in Melbourne on Monday, enjoying the side street bars, we had dinner in chinatown. With perhaps the boniest duck all 3 of us have ever eaten, it was messy work!! Taking me to a campervan bar called chuckles, there was not a chuckle brother in sight! Amazing to have so many hours in the company of a scotsman, getting to know his and Tracey’s story, I laughed a lot :-).

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